Retractable diving board



Oct. 31, 1967 D. H. MOSS RETRACTABLE DIVING BOARD 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledNov. 5, 1964 INVENTOR H. MOSS DONALb mm mm E Oct. 31, 1967 oss 3,350,094

RETRACTABLE DIVING BOARD Filed Nov. 5, 1964 s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.DONALD H. MOSS Oct; 31, 1967 D. H. MOSS RETRACTABLE DIVING BOARD 3Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 5, 1964 I NV E NTOR. DONALD BY l 2.1 631 H.MOSS United States Patent O 3,350,094 RETRACTABLE DIVING BOARD Donald H.Moss, 130 NW. 18th St.,

Pompano Beach, Fla. 33060 Filed Nov. 5, 1964, Ser. No. 409,068 3 Claims.(Cl. 272-66) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A diving board with means forretracting the board horizontally after the diver has left the board soas to remove the board from the path of the diver.

This invention relates in boards and in more board. In training diverstoday one of the greatest difliculties is teaching them to control thebody so that it misses the diving board on its downward path to thewater. Hitting the board on the downward travel is perhaps the greatesthazard facing the novice diver. The edges and end of the board usuallyprovide sharp angled surfaces and become a dangerous weapon when hitfrom above. Many serious accidents have occurred in which the head, faceor body of the diver has been permanently injured.

The diving trainer can usually foresee such an accident as the diver isdescending toward the board but he is helpless to prevent it. A shout atthe diver may frighten the diver so as to cause an even more seriousaccident.

It is a primary object of this invention, therefore, to provide a divingboard which may be instantaneously retracted a short distance so thatthe diver may clear the board when an accident is imminent.

A further object of the invention is to provide a retractable boardwhich may be controlled, not by the diver, but by an observer such as adiving coach who is in a position to foresee any danger of collisionwith the board.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a diving board whichhas all of the features ordinarily incorporated into a diving board sothat the board is a regulation competition board but in addition has theadded safety feature of being instantaneously retractable.

A further object of the invention is to provide a modification of thedevice which may easily be attached to general to diving orspringpartlcularity to a retractable diving an existing diving board soas to convert it to a retractable diving board.

Further objects, advantages, uses, and adaptations of the invention willbe apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a diving board according to my invention witha section broken away to show the location of the retracting mechanism;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view of a diving board according to myinvention with a portion of the side broken away and the retractingmechanism shown partially in cross-section;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the lines 33 ofFIGURE 1 with the board moved out to its forward position;

FIGURE 4 is a partially elevational, partially sectional view of amodified holding and trigger means for the invention taken substantiallyon the lines 44 of FIG- URE 5;

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view of the trigger mechanism shown in FIGURE4;

FIGURE 6 is an elevational view showing the board in its retractedposition with the extended position shown in dotted line;

FIGURE 7 is a view from the rear of the board showing a modification ofthe retracting mechanism which may be used on an existing diving board;

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view of the retracting mechanism takensubstantially on the lines 77 of FIGURE 8.

Referring now to FIGURE 1 of the drawing, diving board 10 is shown asmounted between frame members 11 and 12. Steps 13 at the rear of theboard are used for climbing onto the board. Cover protector 13 coversthe end of the board 10 in each of its various positions.

Located on each side of board 10 and mounted on frame members 11 and 12,respectively, are guide members 14 and 15. These guides 14 and 15control the travel of the board so that it moves in only a verticaldirection.

Near the front end of board 10 is mounted a movable fulcrum of the typecommon in the art. It consists of toothed rack 16 mounted on frame 11and toothed rack 17 mounted on frame 12. Gear 18 rides on rack 16 whilegear 19 rides on rack 17. Gears 18 and 19 are connected by cross member20 which is the actual fulcrum member on which board 10 rests in itsnormal position. Drive wheels 21 and 22 on each side are provided formoving gears 18 and 19 in order to change the fulcrum. Slot 23 isprovided in frame 11 for accommodation of the ends of the movingfulcrum.

Mounted just to the rear of the movable fulcrum is the retracting meansfor the board. Support 24 extends between frames 11 and 12 and holdspulley 25 approximately midway therebetween. Crank 26 is connected topulley 25 by means of handle 27 and shaft 28 which extends through andis held by support 24.

Pulley 25 is held within casing 29 mounted to support 24. Casing 29 hasan upstanding flange 30 thereon to which cylinder 31 is connected.Inside cylinder 31 is piston 32, spring member 33 and flexible windingmeans 34. As shown in FIGURE 2, flexible member 34 extends through theinside of spring 33, through flange 30 of casing 29 and is Wound aroundpulley 25. The rearward end of member 34 is fastened to the rearward endof piston 32.

Board 10 is fastened at its rearward end to traveller 35 by means offasteners such as 36. Mounted on frame 11 is track 37 and on frame 12 istrack 38 between which traveller 35 fits and along which it travels in ahorizontal direction.

Bumper 39 is mounted on the frame of the board and serves to cushion andstop the travel of board 10 and traveller 35 when the board isretracted.

Traveller 35 has a member 40 extending forwardly therefrom to whichpiston 32 is attached by means of fastener 41. Member 40 serves to holdthe board in its forward position in a manner described in detail laterin this specification.

Extending between frames 11 and 12 forwardly of the bumper 39 andrearwardly of support 24 is member 42 for supporting the triggermechanism (FIGURE 3). Inside said member 42 is trigger 43 to which isattached operator 44. Spring member 45 surrounds operator 44 with oneend against frame 12 and the other end against trigger 43. The oppositeside of trigger 43 is in contact with stop member 46.

Stop member 46 is provided with screw threads 47 to cooperate with thethreaded interior 48 of member 42. Stop member 46 is further providedwith a slot 49 for use of a screwdriver or other tool in threading 46into and out of member 42. As can be seen in FIGURE 3, the position ofstop 46 determines how far trigger 43 will travel so as to contactmember 40. Operator 44 may be provided with a string or rope 50 forremote control of the trigger mechanism.

Operation of the device is as follows: with the board in the retractedposition as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2,

it may be used as a regular diving board with fulcrum adjusted toprovide the correct resiliency. When used to train divers, handle 26 isgrasped and turned. In so doing flexible member 34 is wound aroundpulley and it also pulls piston 32 forwardly against the force of spring33. As member 40 is attached to piston 32 it also moves forwardly alongwith traveller 35. Since board -10 is attached to traveller it alsomoves forwardly. Board 10, traveller 35, member 40, and piston 32 allmove forwardly as a unit.

During this forward movement spring 45 is holding trigger 43 so thatpiston 32 travels along against its front surface. As member passestrigger 43, spring 45 forces trigger 43 over behind member 40 until itcontacts stop 46. Then if the winding is stopped, spring 33 will tend toforce piston 32 and member 40 rearwardly but trigger 43 is in the pathof travel of member 40 and thus holds it in this position. The board isnow in readiness for use.

As the diving trainees are using the board the diving coach or a monitorwill hold the remote control 50. When it is seen that a diver is goingto hit the board as he comes down, the coach can pull rope which pullsoperator 44 outwardly. This also pulls trigger 43 from behind member 40,and when this is done the strength of spring 33 thrusts piston 32,member 40, traveller 35 and board 10 rearwardly instantaneously. Thediver then clears the board and an accident has been prevented. Bumper39 cushions the instantaneous thrust of the board.

Crank 26 may then be wound again to move the board forward to a cockedposition for the next diver.

FIGURE 6 illustrates the two positions of the board 10. Its retractedposition is shown in solid line whereas the extended position is shownin dotted line. Distance of travel of the board is a matter of choicebut experiments have indicated that in ordinary regulation competitiondiving boards a distance of 18" between the extended and retractedpositions is sufficient to prevent any accident.

FIGURES 4 and 5 show a possible modification of the trigger device.Board 10, bumper 39, piston 32 and member 40 are all the same as inFIGURES 1 through 3. Mounted on the outside of frames 11 and 12 aremembers 51 and 52 mounted by fasteners 53 and 54, respectively, so as tobe rotatable around said fasteners. Member 51 is provided with a shortlip 55 and a longer lip 56 between which is a substantially V-shapedslot 57.

Board 10 is fastened to carrier 58 which has an extension 59 on one sideand an extension 60 on the opposite. Extensions 59 and 60 extend throughthe frames 11 and 12 and travel horizontally in slots therein. Track 61guides the travel of extension 59 while track 62 guides the travel ofextension 60.

A trigger 63 is provided for member 51 while a trigger 64 is providedfor member 52. As the two triggers are alike only the details of trigger63 will be set forth here.

Spring 65 surrounds a portion of trigger 63 with one end against member66 which closes the end of holder 67 mounted to frame 11 by means ofangle member 68.

The end of trigger 63 extends through member 46 and is attached to aflexible member 69 which travels over pulley 70 and joins flexiblemember 71 which travels over pulley 72. Flexible members 70 and 71 areactivated at the same time by the operator and pass through pulley 73 inorder that the same amount of force will be transmitted to each trigger.

Operation of this triggering mechanism is as follows: with the board inthe forward or extended position as shown in FIGURE 5, when the flexiblemembers 69 and 71 are pulled, triggers 63 and 64' are retracted againstthe force of spring 65. When they are pulled in a sufficient distance soas to be clear of members 51 and 52 the piston 32 forces member 40 andcarrier 58 rearwardly. As there is nothing holding members 51 and 52now, extension 59 rides along lip 56 and causes member 51 to rotate outof the path of travel of extension 59. Extension 60 4 does likewise withmember 52. The board 10 is then thrust back against bumper 39.

As members 51 and 52 are heavier on the side providing lip 56 than theother side they will rotate about fasteners 53 and 54 until anequilibrium is reached.

To reset the retracting device, piston 32 is moved forwardly as in thedescription of FIGURES 1 through 3. As extension 59 moves forwardly itwill contact lip 55 of member 51 and rotate it clockwise until lip 56comes up to the position shown in FIGURE 5. When member 51 is in thisposition trigger 63 will be forced outwardly to a position in front ofmember 51 to hold it in this position. The board is again in readinessfor use.

Due to the wedge shape of extension 59 and the slanting surface of lip56 on member 51 a tight fit is maintained between these two members.

FIGURES 7 and 8 show a modification of the invention which may be usedwith an existing diving board in order to convert it into a retractableboard.

A board 74 is shown as mounted between two frames 75 and 76. Board 75 ismounted on carrier 77 which has extensions 78 and 79 on each endthereof. Extension 78 is guided by track 80 while extension 79 is guidedby track 81.

Attached to carrier 76 is member 82. Flexible member 83 is attached tomember 82 and carries it along with any movement of flexible member 83.Pulley 84 is provided forwardly of the trigger mechanism while pulley 85is provided rearwardly thereof.

Mounted between frames 75 and 76 is shaft 86 on which pulley 87 ismounted. Inside shaft 86 is a second shaft 88 to which handle 89 isattached.

The opposite end of flexible member 83 is attached to piston 90 incylinder 91 and extends through spring 92. Spring 92 acts against theend of cylinder 91 and against piston 90.

Triggers 93 and 94 act to hold members 95 and 96, respectively, inplace. Member 95 pivots around fastener 97 while member 96 pivots aroundfastener 98. Member 95 is provided with a short lip 99 and a longer lip100 with a substantially V-shaped slot 101 therebetween.

Attached to trigger 93 is flexible member 102 while flexible member 103is attached to trigger 94. Member 102 travels over pulley 104; member103 travels over pulley 105. The two members 102 and 103 join each otherso that both triggers may be activated at the same time.

Operation of this modification is as follows: with the board in theposition shown in FIGURE 8, it is in the extended position. As members102 and 103 are pulled each of the triggers 93 and 94 are pulledinwardly thus freeing members 95 and 96. With these members free noresistance is offered to the rearward motion of extensions 78 and 79 ofcarrier 76.

Spring 92 is in compression and is exerting a pulling force on flexiblemember 83 which quickly pulls member 82, along with carrier 76 and board74, rearwardly until the board hits number 106. Due to itsconfiguration, member 95 hangs with its heavier side downward.

When crank 89 is turned in a clockwise direction, flexible member 83winds onto pulley 87, pulling member 82, carrier 76 and board 74forwardly. Piston 90 is pulled against the force of spring 92.

As end members 78 and 79 move forwardly they contact the shorter lip 99of member 95 and the corresponding lip of member 96, moving it forwarduntil the members 95 and 96 are in the position shown in FIGURE 8.Triggers 93 and 94 move outwardly to hold members 95 and 96 in thisposition, thereby holding the wedge-shaped members 78 and 79 against lip100 and its counterpart.

Although the invention has been described largely in terms of severalembodiments, it will be understood that in some respects theseembodiments are only illustrative and that the invention is susceptibleof application in a variety of other forms within the spirit and scopeof the pp ded. sh ms 5 6 What is claimed is: crum means on said framecomprising a pivot bar support- 1. A diving apparatus comprising ingsaid board. (a) a frame support, 3. A diving apparatus according toclaim 2 with said (b) a diving board on said frame, pivot bar beingmovable in a longitudinal direction rela- (c) means mounting said boardbeing for movement 5 tive to said board.

in a longitudinal direction relative to said frame,

(d) spring means holding said board in its rearward- References CitedPosition UNITED STATES PATENTS (e) means for moving said board forwardlyagainst the force of said spring means, 10 2,032,574 3/ 1936 Handley272-66 (f) locking means for holding said board in a forward 2,977,1193/ 1961 f ldt et a1 27266 position, 3,030,108 4/1962 Baker 27266 (g)control means for releasing said locking means so as to permit saidspring means to return the board F. BARRY SHAY, Exammerto itsrearwardmost position. 15 T. Z ACK, Assistant Examiner 2. A divingapparatus according to claim 1 with ful-

1. A DIVING APPARATUS COMPRISING (A) A FRAME SUPPORT, (B) A DIVING BOARDON SAID FRAME, (C) MEANS MOUNTING SAID BOARD BEING FOR MOVEMENT IN ALONGITUDINAL DIRECTION RELATIVE TO SAID FRAME, (D) SPRING MEANS HOLDINGSAID BOARD IN ITS REARWARDMOST POSITION, (E) MEANS FOR MOVING SAID BOARDFORWARDLY AGAINST THE FORCE OF SAID SPRING MEANS, (F) LOCKING MEANS FORHOLDING SAID BOARD IN A FORWARD POSITION, (G) CONTROL MEANS FORRELEASING SAID LOCKING MEANS SO AS TO PERMIT SAID SPRING MEANS TO RETURNTHE BOARD TO ITS REARWARDMOST POSITION.